FIFA Suspends Luis Rubiales Over Misconduct With Soccer Player Jennifer Hermoso

FIFA has provisionally suspended the President of the Spanish FA, Luis Rubiales over allegedly kissing soccer team player Jennifer Hermoso at the Women's World Cup final in Sydney last weekend.

According to a statement issued by FIFA, "The chairman of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee, Jorge Ivan Palacio (Colombia), in use of the powers granted by article 51 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC), has decided today to provisionally suspend Mr. Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level.

The statement further stated that the chairman has suspended Luis Rubiales for 90 days with effect from today. In addition to this, the chairman has also directed Rubiales to refrain, through himself or third parties, from contacting or attempting to contact the professional player of the Spanish national football team Jennifer Hermoso, or her close environment.

On the other hand, Spain's football federation has threatened Hermoso with legal action for lying about being kissed by federation president Luis Rubiales.

Hermoso on Friday said she had no consent to a kiss by the country's soccer chief - at the medal ceremony that happened last Sunday after Spain had won the Women's World Cup. Taking to social media, she wrote, "I felt vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out-of-place act without any consent on my part."

However, reacting to the suspension order, Rubiales refused to resign from his post, described the kiss as "mutual" and defined the allegations as "unjust" campaigns and "fake feminism."

Taking a stand for Rubiales, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) claimed, "The evidence is conclusive. The President has not lied."

This happened after Hermoso complained that she "didn't like" and "didn't expect" after Rubiales kissed her on the lips after she had collected her winners' medal following Spain's victory over England in the Women's World Cup final.

Later, Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez asked for an apology from Rubiales who on Monday admitted that he had "made a mistake."